


What's Worse Than Not Knowing

by Spoodlemonkey



Series: When the Lights Go Out [2]
Category: Hockey RPF
Genre: Apocalypse, M/M, Pre-Slash, the beginning of the apocalypse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-05
Updated: 2018-09-05
Packaged: 2019-07-07 12:15:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,372
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15908082
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Spoodlemonkey/pseuds/Spoodlemonkey
Summary: Jamie wakes up to a world that has changed, he just doesn't realize it at first.





	What's Worse Than Not Knowing

**Author's Note:**

> Continuation of my SidGeno fic because I just couldn't help but play in that sandbox again...I'm hoping to explore this universe further too with more Hockey pairings...let me know what you think. Unbeta'd so all mistakes are my own.

The blaring of his alarm wrenches Jamie from a pleasant dream, dropping him back in the cold hearted reality that is early morning practice and a day of media training ahead. His hand fumbles out of the covers, manages to hit the snooze on his phone and he sinks back into the pillows, heart pounding at the sudden return to consciousness. He groans, scrubs his palms at his eyes until they feel hot and then holds them there for a long moment as he braces himself to take on the day ahead. If he had to choose between a day of bag skates versus dealing with the media, he’d pick the bag skate every time, hands down. There’s a reason Tyler is the media darling- Jamie has absolutely no chill when trying to talk to people that aren’t team. 

All too soon his alarm is blaring again, startling him out of the light doze he’d slipped back into. He slaps at his phone again, this time knocking it off the side table and under the bed. Jamie swears colourfully and crawls out of bed, laying belly down on the floor to find the irritating alarm and silence it. 

His hand closes around it but the phone abruptly goes silent as he pulls it back out. Frowning down at the blank screen he pushes back up to his feet, fiddling with the home button until it sinks in that his battery has somehow died on him. He double checks that the charger is in the wall, plugs it back in and waits a moment before trying to turn it on- nothing. 

Jamie drops the phone back down on the bed and heads for the light switch, flicking it on and off, only a little surprised when nothing happens. 

He’d gone to bed early the previous evening with a pretty wicked migraine, but the power must have gone out some time during the night if his phone is completely dead. He digs around in his side table, comes up with a spare power bank and plugs his phone in to charge it up as he goes about getting dressed. Halfway through brushing his teeth his phone powers up enough that a call can come through and he drops his toothbrush in the sink, startled by the sudden sound coming from his bedroom. 

“‘Lo?” Jamie manages to catch it before it goes to voicemail. 

“Jamie, shit, how are you doing?” Jordie’s voice crackles like he’s going through a tunnel and Jamie wonders if he’s calling him on the way to the rink in Montreal. But there’s an urgency to his tone, something that makes his stomach twist and his chest tighten. 

“I just got up, whats up?” He heads back to the washroom, phone on speaker and power bank cradled carefully in his hand. He sets them both on the counter to grab his toothbrush. He grimaces, rinses it and goes back to scrubbing half heartedly. 

There’s a strange pause from Jordie’s end, the kind that Jamie feels should probably be accompanied by an incredulous stare, but it’s just him in his bathroom, and his brother is a country away. 

“I need you to check the news.” Jordie says slowly and Jamie rinses his mouth, suddenly more alert than he was a moment ago.

“The powers out, I could check my phone?” He’s certainly got enough data for it. But Jordie just makes a rough sound, and a horn sounds loud and sudden through the speaker. “Jord?”

“Do that,” Jordie says and Jamie can picture him in his truck, bent close to the wheel fighting traffic at, he glances at the clock, 5 am? “But first go to Tylers, if you can get ahold of the other guys then get them there too.”   
“Jordie, what the hell is going on?” He grips the edge of the counter, heart pounding in his chest at the urgency in his brothers voice. 

“No one’s really sure,” Jordie admits. “But they’re talking about closing the borders so I’ll have to hurry.”   
“What?” He scoops up the phone, uncaring as the power bank jerks free, tumbling to the floor. “Why would they do that?” 

“No one has power. Anywhere. They think it might be some sort of attack.”

Jamie blinks, gaze unfocused as he tries to process this.

“Jamie?”

“Where are you going?” He manages, feeling the floor slowly slip out from under his feet leaving him unbalanced and unsure. It could be an elaborate prank he considers, then remembers Jordie’s voice, the  _ fear _ he’d tried to keep hidden. 

“I’m coming to get you guys.” He tells Jamie, calm and steady and Jamie finds himself nodding along, like  _ of course _ . “Grab your go bag just in case, and see if you can keep your phone charged in your car or something. Let me know when you get to Tylers.”

“Okay, and...you’ll be safe right?”

“Course Chubbs.” Jordie laughs a little but it sounds forced. “I’ll be there in no time.” 

A chorus of car horns echoes through the line. 

“Okay.” Jamie says again and Jordie hangs up with a quick  _ love you _ . 

 

::

 

Tyler’s on his front steps when Jamie pulls into his drive. It feels borderline ridiculous to  _ drive _ the miniscule distance between their homes but he’d just wanted to  _ get there _ . Turns out Tyler had been having similar thoughts- he’s got his keys in his hands and the dogs on their leashes as he jogs over and meets Jamie as he climbs out of the car. 

The boys get all tangled around their legs as Tyler half lunges at him, dragging him into a tight, bone crushing hug. Jamie holds on just as tight, buries his face in Tyler’s neck and breathes him in, feeling some of the tension that had curled around his spine, his chest and stomach until he’d felt like he could barely breathe, ease. 

They could probably spend all day out there, clinging to one another but Gerry gets impatient and nearly topples them, inching between their legs. 

Jamie grabs his bag and Tyler gets everyone back inside and then its just them, the door shut firmly between them and the unknown. He drops his bag in the living room, sinks into the couch and watches as Tyler paces. It’s barely six in the morning and it already feels like he’s been going for hours- adrenaline and fear a potent mix that leaves his stomach churning. 

“Did Jordie call you?” His voice comes out rough; he clears his throat, feeling how dry it really is. 

Tyler shakes his head. “Bergy did. Boston lost power yesterday evening and it sounds like it’s starting to get pretty rough there.”

Jamie nods absently but there’s a huge wave of relief that Tyler is there with him, instead of back with his old team. There’s something about having Tyler nearby, something that makes him feel powerful. 

“People are saying that all of North America is without power.” Tyler sinks down onto the couch next to him finally, close, all but in Jamie’s lap as he presses their sides flush together. Jamie reaches out, wraps an arm around Tyler’s shoulder and lets him press even closer. 

“There are power grids all over the place,” Jamie mutters. He stares at the blank screen of the television. The room is dim except for where the weak early morning light is filtering in through the windows. “They can’t  _ all  _ be down.”

“What did Jordie say?”

“He’s coming to get us apparently.” He tries to laugh, to make it sound humorous enough that the real idea that Jordie thinks its serious enough that he’s coming out there to get them doesn’t feel as terrifying. “I don’t know what we’ll do then.”

Tyler nods, hair tickling Jamie’s nose. He presses into it and breathes him in. 

“We’ll figure it out.” He curls his hands around Jamie’s, squeezes, grounds him. “It’ll be okay.”

Jamie isn’t even sure what’s  _ wrong _ but hearing Tyler say it reassures him, settles him a bit and he reluctantly tugs one of his hands free to reach for his phone. He’s got almost a full battery from the power bank and a few phone calls to make before it runs out. 

 


End file.
